Ask a Utah homeowner what is in the basement and the answer usually includes shelves of canned goods, buckets of wheat and a chest freezer. Keeping a supply of food is a long-standing practice here. Getting it upstairs is the hard part, and it gets harder with age.
A lift for the load
A home dumbwaiter is a small lift for goods. It runs in a shaft between floors, with a door on each level. Load it in the storage room, press the button, and unload it in the kitchen or pantry.
What families send up and down
- Cases of cans and jars
- Bulk purchases from the warehouse store
- Frozen food from the basement freezer
- Laundry for a large household
- Holiday decorations and storage boxes
Why it matters for safety
Carrying a heavy, awkward load on stairs is a classic cause of falls and back injuries. With a dumbwaiter you walk the stairs with both hands free.
Routes that work
- Cold storage room to pantry
- Garage to kitchen
- Basement to main floor to bedroom level, with three stops
Space needed
About the footprint of a small closet, in a straight vertical line.
Best times to install
- When building
- When finishing the basement
- When remodeling the kitchen
It can also be added to a finished home where a route exists.
Controls and safety
Simple call and send buttons. Doors stay locked unless the car is present, so it is safe around children.
For people as well as goods
A dumbwaiter does not carry passengers. If the stairs themselves are the problem, see our stair lifts and home elevators.
See where one would fit
Visit our dumbwaiters page. Call Nationwide Lifts of Utah on (801) 335-9089 or request a site visit.